“Escaping the Streets One Play at a Time” by T'Ontae

“Escaping the Streets One Play at a Time” by T'Ontae - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Growing up in Oakland, California, I learned early that life doesn’t give everyone the same starting line. In my neighborhood, danger was normal. Hearing gunshots at night, seeing police lights flash down the block, and watching people my age get pulled into gang life were just part of everyday reality. Oakland has a strong sense of pride, but it also carries a heavy weight of violence and struggle. For a long time, it felt like the environment was shaping who I was going to become before I even had a chance to decide for myself.

My mom was the backbone of our family. She worked three jobs—sometimes back-to-back shifts—just to keep me and my little brother afloat. There were weeks where I barely saw her, and nights when she came home exhausted, her feet sore and her eyes heavy. Even then, she never complained. She made sure there was food in the fridge, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads. Watching her sacrifice everything for us taught me what real strength looked like, but it also made me feel pressure. I didn’t want her hard work to be for nothing.

Before football, I didn’t really know where I fit in. I stayed quiet, tried to stay out of trouble, and focused on surviving day by day. I saw how easy it was to get caught up in the streets. Some of my friends joined gangs because they wanted protection, respect, or money. Others just wanted to belong to something. When that’s all you see around you, it starts to feel like the only path available. I won’t lie—there were moments where I felt tempted. But deep down, I knew that life wasn’t what I wanted.

Football entered my life at a time when I needed structure. At first, I thought it was just a game. But the first real practice changed everything. Football demanded discipline, accountability, and effort. You couldn’t fake it. If you didn’t put in the work, it showed. If you messed up, the team felt it. That responsibility forced me to grow fast. It gave me something positive to pour my energy into instead of letting the environment around me pull me in the wrong direction.

Physically, football pushed me past limits I didn’t know I had. Practices were intense, and there were days I went home sore, frustrated, and doubting myself. I wasn’t the strongest or most experienced player, and sometimes I felt overlooked. But football taught me that strength isn’t just about muscles—it’s about mindset. Showing up every day, even when things were hard at home or school, became a habit. I learned how to take coaching, accept criticism, and improve instead of shutting down.

Mentally, football gave me an escape. When I was on the field, everything else disappeared—the noise, the stress, the fear. All that mattered was the next play. That focus started to carry over into other parts of my life. I became more disciplined in school. I learned how to manage my time better. I stopped making excuses and started holding myself accountable. Football didn’t change my circumstances overnight, but it changed how I responded to them.

Coming from Oakland made football feel bigger than just me. Every game felt like I was playing for more than wins or stats. I was playing for my mom, who sacrificed her body and time so we could have a future. I was playing for my little brother, who looks up to me and needs someone to set an example. I was playing for friends who never got the chance to find something positive like football. That responsibility pushed me to work harder, even when no one was watching.

The biggest strength football helped me discover was belief in myself. Growing up, expectations for kids from my background were low. People assume that if you come from Oakland, you’re destined to fail or end up in trouble. Football showed me that my past didn’t determine my future. It helped me find my voice, develop confidence, and step into leadership. I learned how to stay calm under pressure and how to keep pushing when things don’t go my way.

Football also taught me resilience. Losses hurt. Mistakes stayed with me. But instead of quitting, I learned how to respond. That lesson applies to life just as much as it does to the game. No matter how hard things get, I know I can keep going.

Oakland made me aware of reality. My mom showed me sacrifice. Football helped me turn all of that into strength, purpose, and direction. No matter where life takes me, the lessons football gave me will always be part of who I am.